WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 29, 2016) -- The 21st-ranked Mules Baseball team swept a doubleheader from Missouri Western, winning 6-4 and 6-2, on Friday afternoon at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field. The Mules swept the three-game series and in the process clinched at least a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship.
The Griffons (31-16, 23-13 MIAA) jumped on top 2-0 in the first inning of game one. Orencio Fisher had an RBI double and later scored on a Nick Gawley groundout to give MWSU the lead. It didn't last long, however, as the Mules (31-12, 29-7 MIAA) plated three runs in the bottom of the first to grab the lead for good.
Jake Alexander belted a two-run home run to tie the game and
Derek Cornell scored on a throwing error to put UCM in front,
Matt Elliott's two-run home run in the second gave the Mules a 5-2 lead. It was his third home run in the last two games.
The Griffons got those runs back in the third on a sacrifice fly from Gawley and a Kody Matthews RBI single, but Cornell scored on a balk in the home half to push the UCM lead back to 6-4.
It would stay that way the rest of the game as
Ethan Westphal (7-2) went the distance for his first career complete game. He scattered 10 hits and allowed four runs while striking out 10.
Alex Clavet (5-2) took the loss for Missouri Western after allowing four runs on four hits in an inning-plus.
The Mules jumped on top in game two, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on Cornell's RBI double and
Cole Distler's RBI single. The lead grew to 3-0 in the third when Alexander singled home Elliott after he had led off the inning with a triple.
The Griffons got a run back in the fourth on Brandon Downs' RBI single, but UCM plated three runs in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead.
Dylan Farrell hit an inside the park home run to start the scoring. He hit a towering fly ball to left center that hit off the top of the wall and bounded away from the leftfielder, allowing Farrell to come all the way around to score. Following an Alexander single,
Bennett Oliver crushed a 1-2 pitch deep over the wall in right for his 19th home run of the season. He now stands alone in second place for single-season home runs at UCM, one shy of the all-time record of 20 set by Ben Slemmer in 1998.
The Griffons would add a late run in the ninth on an Alex Heuring RBI double, but the Mules secured the 6-2 win and with it, at least a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship. A Washburn loss on Saturday or one UCM win at WU next weekend will give the Mules the outright title.
Carlos D'Armas (3-2) tossed six solid innings to earn the win,. He allowed one run, while scattering six hits and striking out four.
Luke Mercer tossed an inning of hitless relief and
Lucas Williams came on to record the final six outs, allowing one run on three hits.
Elliott finished the day 4-for-9 with a triple, home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Alexander had three hits and three RBI in the doubleheader as well.
The Mules close out the regular season next weekend with a three-game series at Washburn. It gets underway on Friday, May 6 with a 5 p.m. first pitch at Falley Field in Topeka, Kansas.
